Seen On

by Ginger Allen
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ― Those who've seen it say it's got all the makings of a real life horror movie. The symptoms alone are scary and for the thousands who claim they're suffering from it, the effects are even more frightening. No one knows what causes it, if it's contagious, or even how to treat it. Many question, 'Is it real?', or is it just a delusion?

"I feel the itchy and the creepy crawling," says Cindy Casey. "You just want to get it out of you."

A mysterious illness is plaguing Cindy and thousands of people like her around the country. "It's been extremely disfiguring. Every part of my body, hands, legs, arms, back. I don't escape it for one moment of the day," Cindy says. "I'm constantly aware of it."

Cindy, who is a registered nurse, says she's been suffering since 2002, and the bizarre symptoms have turned her life upside down. "My lifestyle's completely changed," she says. "I'm no longer to work in the I.C.U. where I worked for 17 years. That was my career."

The condition, known as Morgellons, is like no other. Most doctors don't even believe it exists because the symptoms don't fit anything listed in medical textbooks. The most unusual of all the symptoms are tiny fibers that literally grow out of the victim's skin.

"It's miserable. It feels like splinters…like you have splinters coming out all over," Cindy explains. "Mostly black and white, some of them were blue, and some of them were red."

Cindy told CBS 11 News that when she first went to the doctor, she was shut down and turned away. She says she cried on the way home and could not understand why her doctor wouldn't at least be curious about this possible new disease.

Other patients say they've been diagnosed with delusions of parasites. "They told me I was doing this to myself…that I was nuts," says Stephanie Bailey, another Morgellons patient. "Basically, I just quit going to doctors because I was afraid they were going to lock me up."

Dr. Randy Wymore and Dr. Rhonda Casey have started researching Morgellons at Oklahoma State University's Center for Health Sciences. "It most definitely does exist," says Dr. Casey. "There's no question whatsoever that it exists. What causes it, I don't know. Whether it's infectious or not, I don't know."

The researchers say they collected fibers from Cindy's lesions and had them analyzed by a forensics lab in Tulsa, OK. According to the doctors several different tests were done on the fibers, but they did not match up with any of the known substances in the reference lab.

"I don't understand why this particular condition has been looked upon as not a real condition when there are many other conditions that have been discovered in my lifetime," Dr. Casey told CBS 11.

Over the last year, the Centers for Disease Control has been flooded with calls and emails about Morgellons. Just this week, CBS 11 learned the CDC is planning to begin a field study within 90 days to hopefully learn more about the condition. Since a number of the patients are in Texas, they say the study could take place right here.

As for Cindy, she hopes the CDC investigation will shed some light on what's happening to her. "I've lost my career, my home, pretty much everything," she says. "It has totally changed my life. I'd just live life to the fullest until this happened."

Over the next few weeks, the CDC will be selecting a site for their investigation. Researchers will either choose California, Florida, or Texas - the three states with the most cases.

If you have a question about Morgellons, and would like more information from the CDC, MorgellonsSyndrome@CDC.gov.

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